Sweet Things Kill

Mikie (not real name) had always been a hard worker and according to him had never had anything come to him easily.

At age five he lost his mother and in the years that followed, his step mother made life a living hell for him. He became a servant in his own father’s house and so he had to grow up fast. Before he turned ten he could cook, wash clothes, sweep, scrub and go the market.

He was sent to a local school and from age thirteen, he began to take care of himself and his two younger sisters. He did a lot of menial jobs and worked really hard to make ends meet for himself and his siblings.

Their father never recovered from the loss of his wife and a new wife was forced on him to help him heal but it never worked; it looked like a part of him died when his wife died and he suffered both emotionally and mentally. He became like a recluse, never socialised and his relationship with his children suffered a great deal.

He often sat down and gazed into space and said only a few words like “thank you” when he received his meal and “sorry” when someone had a minor incident. Their step mother never had a child of her own and although she did not take good care of Mikie and his siblings, she never raised a hand on any of them. (For real?)

Mikie had worked all his life and cannot remember when he never worked, he was able to pay his tuition at the tertiary and even did more jobs to ensure that his sisters were also properly educated. He begged when he had to as long as it put food on the table or paid one person’s school fees.

Mikie has been married just a few years to a lovely lady; they had met in school and discovered that they had a lot in common. She was also fending for herself and her siblings, they grew very close to each other and the friendship that they enjoyed made their burdens lighter.

Mikie now works in a good company, he receives a good salary every month but still has to voluntarily put in extra hours to be able to take care of both his immediate and extended family. 

He always talked about retiring early and often joked that going by his current situation, it looked like he would even work from the grave.

A while ago, Mikie spoke on behalf of his organisation at a conference that was held out of state. At the dinner party held to mark the close of the conference, a certain woman walked up to him and they got into a conversation like they had always known each other and that marked the beginning of a good friendship. 

They exchanged work materials and ideas and enjoyed a truly formal relationship; Ola (not real name) wouldn’t submit any report without first sending to Mikie.

Ola spoke to Mikie’s wife a few times but she somehow kept every information about her own family away from Mikie. He asked her a few times but let it go each time he saw how reluctant she was to talk about her family.

The first surprise came on Mikie’s birthday, she sent him a note and asked him to meet some car dealer, it was a car gift to him, Mikie turned down the offer which made Ola very upset but they started speaking again when he accepted the cash equivalent. (Smart guy)

It was over eight months before the two friends saw each other again, Ola had training in Mikie’s town, and he went from work to see her for a drink in the hotel where she stayed. They had a lovely evening filled with laughter and that was when she told him that she fancied him. 

Mikie tried to fight it but Ola won; it was his first, Ola took his marriage virginity and introduced him to the exciting world of adultery.

Adultery was not as bad as Mikie imagined that it would be, he longed for Ola more and did everything possible to keep his wife very happy. He was happy and his relationship with his wife was even better, he was more patient and loving towards her. (Guilty conscience at work)

Ola was the wife a very wealthy man and she showered him with money, his first trip abroad was made possible by her and he discovered a totally new life out there. 

He couldn’t count how many times they were at it; they ravaged each other so much that it looked like masochism. Mikie is presently on a different level, he knows it is dangerous but says that this is the first time someone has ever looked out for him and taken good care of him. 

All his life, he’s had to take care of everyone around him, this is his time to be pampered and he will enjoy it to the last.

My people will say “Ihe na ato uto na egbu egbu” (sweet things can kill). A word is enough for the wise and I want to believe that Mikie is wise.